Automatic bucket-dumping device.



No. 758,271. PATENTED APR. 26, 1904.

' J. MQKINNON.

AUTOMATIC BUCKET DUMPING DEVICE. APPLIOATIOK FILED MAY 1a, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

wwwamm y. a 2 j Z No. 758,271. PATENTED APR. 26, 1904. J. MOKINNON.

AUTOMATIC BUCKET DUMPING DEVICE.

APPLICATION IILED MAY 1a, 1903. 4

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No. 758,271. PATENTED APR. 26, 1904.

J. MKINNON.

AUTOMATIC BUCKET DUMPING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 18, 1903.

N0 IODEL. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

No. 758,271. PATENTED APR. 26, 1904. J. MOKINNON.

AUTOMATIC BUCKET DUMPING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 1903- NO MODEL. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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Patented April 26, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN MOKINNON, OF PRESCOTT, ARIZONA TERRITORY.

AUTOMATIC, BUCKET-DUMPING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 758,271, dated April 26, 1904.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN MoKINNoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Prescott,

in the county of Yavapai and Territory of Arizona, have invented a new and usefulAutomatic Bucket-Dumping Device Comprising Apparatus for the Handling of Ores and aste, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic bucketduinpingdevices comprising apparatus for the handling of ores and waste.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved dumping device for ore-buckets adapted to be used in connection with the ordinary hoisting mechanism employed for raising ore-buckets from mine-shafts and to provide improved devices for handling the ore and waste dumped from the bucket, whereby both ore and waste may be readily deposited at any places desired which lie within the range of the apparatus and whereby greater facility may be obtained in handling ore and mine-waste than has been possible with structures of this class as heretofore used.

With the object above stated and others in view,which will appear as the invention is more fully understood, the same consists in the construction and combination of .parts hereinafter described, shown in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and having the novel features-thereof particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the form, proportions, and exact mode of assemblage of the elements exhibited without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

In the drawings, Figure. 1 is a view in side elevation of. the preferred form of embodiment of. the invention. Fig. 2 is a detail view showing the operation of the trip for dumping the ore-bucket. Fig.3 is a detail view showing the mode of supporting the operating-levers in the preferred form of the invention. Fig. 4c is a view in side elevation of a modified form of embodiment of the invention. Fig. 5 is a plan view, on enlarged scale, of the structures at the left hand of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a detail view in plan, on enlarged scale, of theoperatinglevers and associated mechanism shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a detail view in cross-section through the shaft shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a plan view of the structures shown at the left hand of Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a partial side elevation ofanother modified form of the invention. Fig. 10 is a view in front elevation of the top of the gallows-frame.

Corresponding parts are designatedby the same characters of reference throughout the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings by reference characters, F designates generally agallowsframe of the ordinary type placed in position adjacent to the top of a mine-shaft, from which projects upward a suitable housing 1. The gallows-frame F is supported upon a base B, consisting of a framework of heavy timbers bolted together in the usual manner, the base being so disposed that the housing'l projects upward between transverse timbers near one end of said base. The gallows-frame F consists, as shown, of uprights 2, oblique brace members 3, and cross-bars 4. at the upper part of the frame. The cross-bars 4 have supported between them two short uprights 5, which support a shaft upon whichis journaled a pulley 6, over which passes a cable 7 for hoisting the ore-bucket 8, which moves up and down in the housing 1 over the mine-shaft.

The housingl is sawed off at the top on an incline, as shown, and is closed by a door 9, hinged at 10to the housing and provided with vertical side flanges 11, whose utility will hereinafter be explained. Z

The door 9 is normally kept closed bymeans of spiralsprings 12, provided on either side of the housing 1 and having one end attached to the housing, as shown, and the otherv end attached to the door 9 ata point slightly above the hinges, by means of which the door is mounted upon the housing. The springs 12 are very resilient, so that the door maybe readily opened by the upward movement of the ore-bucket, and in order to make the door swing readily upon its hinges I provide a weight-box 13, which is pivotally suspended upon a rod 14:, mounted in bent arms 15, one of which is secured to each side of the door and has a portion extending downward from the lower end of the door, as best seen in Fig. 1. The weight-box 13 may be supplied with weights in any suitable amount to counterbalance as evenly as possible the weight of the door, so'that the effort necessary to open the door against the tension of thespring may not be excessive, and also to permit the spring to swing the door readily upon its hinges. The arms 15 are provided with a series ofperforations 16 below the point of attachment of the rod 14, on which the weight-box is swung. Spiral springs 17 are provided one on each side of the housing and are connected at one end with the housing, 'as seen in Fig. 1, and at the other end with the most suitable opening of the series 16 in bent'arms 15. The springs 17 and the springs 12 are' opposed to each other in action and are so proportioned in strength that they about balance each other when the door is closed. This makes one line (shown at 18) sufficient to operate the door. The line 18 is'secured in one of the openings 16 in one of the arms 15 and is attached at its'other end to a suitable operating-lever, which will be hereinafter described.

Mounted in the gallows-frame adjacent to the shaft-housing is a removable frame 19, upon which is supported a chute 20, inclined oppositely to the door 9. The chute 20. is made use of only when the gallows-frame is supported above the grade required for the dump. The chute is then used until sufficient material to fill to the required grade has been dumped thereon.

The dumping mechanism used in connection with the chute 20 consists of a trip 21, mounted upon a bar 22,which is carried'by projecting arms 23, mounted on the gallows-frame, as shown. The bar 22 is adjustably secured tothe arms 23 by means of hooks 24, which are secured to the bar 22 by means of nuts engaging threaded ends of said hooks and forming means for drawing the hooks into positive engagement with thearms 23. By loosening the nuts on the threaded ends of hooks '24 the bar 22 may be loosened and shifted toward or away from the uprights on the gallows-frame. The trip 21, which is formed from a bent rod, as shown, is secured in position by similar hooks 25, which engage with eyes 26, formed in the rod of which the trip is made. The trip is made in the form of a loop, which narrows at the end and which is curved toward the vertical line in which the bucket travels up and down. By

forming the trip in this manner it is adapted to engage vwith a knob 33, provided on the bottom of the ore-bucket in the manner presently to be explained. The rod forming the trip 21 is prolonged at each end beyond the eyes 26 to form arms 27 and 28. The arm 27, which is the longer of the two, carries a weight 28, which is adjustable thereon by means of a set-screw 29. The arm 28 is pierced by several openings 30, in one of which is secured an operatingeline 31, attached at its other end to a spiral spring 32, which is in turn fastened to a suitable lever, presently to be described.

The knob 33 on the bucket 8, with which the trip 21 engages, is preferably of hemispherical form, with the convex surface disposed downward. The knob is attached to the bottom of the bucket by means of. a short length of chain 34 or other flexible connectionand is of such asize that .it cannot be drawn through the narrow portion of the loop formed in the trip 21. The line 18 and spring 32 are attached to operating-levers 35 and 36, respectively. Said levers 35 and 36 are bell-crank levers of substantially the same construction. The levers .35 and 36 are mounted upon a shaft 37 which is preferably supported by a clamp 38 attached to a section 39 of the steam-pipe of the engine, (not shown,) and inorder to brace the said pipe to adapt it to withstand the strain placed thereon by the levers mounted on the shaft 37 I provide a forked brace member'40, bolted at the upper end to the clamp 38 and at the lower end to one of the bearing-blocks 41, in which is journaled the shaft of the hoisting-d rum 42. Bell-crank levers 35 and 36 have hubs provided with ratchet.- faces adapted to engage with corresponding faces upon collars 43 and 44, mounted upon the shaft 37 and held'in position by means of clamping-screws and 46, the

construction being similar to that shown in Fig. 6. The hubs of the levers 35 and 36 are forced into engagement with the ratchet-faces of collars 43 and 44 by springs which encircle the shaft 37 and are so disposed that they hold the hubs of the levers normally in engagement with the ratchet-faces of the collars 43 and 44. The serrations of the ratchet-faces of the hubs of the bell-crank levers and the collars on shaft 37' are so disposed that the levers may be moved freely in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, whereby the lines 18 and 31 are placed under tension; but in order to provide for the movement of the bell-crank levers in the opposite direction I provide cam-levers 49 and 50, which are mounted upon the clamping-screws 45 and 46, by means of which collars 43 and 44 are secu'red'in position on the shaft 37 In order to prevent rattling of the cam-levers 49 and 50, and yet to hold them so that there will be no danger of binding, I provide on each of the clamping-screws 45 and 46 a metal washer next to the head of the screw, an elastic washer ofleather or rubber immediately below the metal washer, and a second metal washer below the elastic washer, thus holding the cam-levers 49 and50 yield-' ably in contact with the collars 43 and 44. Cam-levers 49 and 50 are adapted to engage with flanges provided on thehubs of bellcrank levers 35 and 36 and to force the hubs longitudinally along the shaft 37, thereby disengaging the ratchet-faces on said hubs and the corresponding ratchet-faces on the collars 43 and 44.

When the apparatus as described in the preceding paragraphs is in use, the door 9 will be opened by means of lever 35 and line 18, allowing the bucket 8 to pass upward out of the housing 1. The door will then be allowed to close'under the action of spring 12 by releasing the lever. 35 from engagement with the collar 43, and the trip 21 will be raised by a pull upon the lever 36, bringing the loop at the end of the trip up into contact with the bottom of the bucket 8 and causing the knob 33, suspended under the bottom of the bucket. to pass between the sides of the loop. The bucket 8 will now be lowered,and the engagementof the knob 33 with the loop on the trip 21 will cause the bucket to be inverted or tilted, as shown in Fig. 2, and its contents emptied upon chute 20. The downward movement of the bucket forces the trip down with it; but when the bucket is raised preparatory to releasing it from the trip the tension of spiral spring 32 causes the trip to rise with the bucket. When the bucket has again reached the top of its movement, thelever 36 is released by means of cam-lever 50, and the trip 21 is lowered to permit the descent of the bucket into the mine-shaft to. be refilled. After the requisite amount of material to fill in the space within the base-frame supporting the gallows-frame to the required level is dumped upon chute 20 it audits temporary supporting-frame 19 are removed, and the bucket is afterward dumped by means of a trip 51, supported on a bar 52, which is carried by arms 53, which are secured to the gallows-frame at a somewhat lower level than arms 23. The trip 51 is substantially similar in construction to trip 21, and consequently requires no separate detailed description. d

hen the trip 21 is no longer in use, the line 31, employed in operating said trip, is disconnected therefrom and attached to the arm on trip 51, which corresponds to arm 27 on trip 21. The operation of trip 51 is substantially similar to that of trip 21; but owing to the difference in position of the two trips trip 51 is adapted to dump the contents of the bucket 8 upon the door 9,'and the verical flanges at the sides thereof serve to direct the material downward into a car or other suitable receptacle placed at the rear of the housing and beneath the lower endof the door 9.

In Figs. 4 to 9 is illustrated a dumping mechanism similar to that described in the preceding paragraphs, but applied to a gal lows-frame of greater height than that commonly employed and having associated therewith apparatus for handling the ore or other material to be dumped from the bucket. In the modified form of the invention shown in Figs. 4 to 9, F designates the gallows-frame, and B the base. designates the shafttop by means of a door 61, set on an incline and operated by means of a line attached to a lever 61. The gallows-frame in this form of embodiment of the invention is provided near the top with a pulley 62, over which passes a hoist-rope 63, which has suspended at the end thereof a bucket 64, provided on its under surface with a suspended knob 65, similar in all respects to the bucket 8, already described. suitable drum 66, which is operated by any suitable motor. (Not shown.) A trip 67 is supported upon a bar 68, mounted upon arms 69 at the upper part of the gallows-frame, and is operated by means of a line 69, attached to a spiral spring 70, which is in turn attached to a bell-crank lever 70. Just behind the housing .60 is placed an ore-bin 71. preferably divided into a plurality of compartments by vertical partitions 72 and provided with a sloping bottom 73 to facilitate the delivery of the ore from the bin through chutes 74, provided at the rear of the bin at the lower side of the sloping bottom. Mounted on the central partition of the bin is a post 75, having at the upper end a pivot-pin 76, on which turns a block 7 7 which supports one end of a chute 78. The chute 78 is formed, preferably, of sheet metal and extends downwardly and rearwardly from the block 77, upon which it rests, and terminates in a slightly-curved lower end 79. The lower end 79 of the chute has attached thereto a strap 80, which passes beneath the lower end of the chute and terminates in eyes 81 at the sides. Pivotally engaging the eyes 81 is a loop 82, attached to a line 83, the upper end of which is secured to an eyebolt or other suitable support 83 in the bar 68, the bar 68 being braced in position by rods 84 and 85, attached at one end to said bar and at the other end to a transverse bar forming the top of the gallowsframe F. The eyebolt 83 is preferably immediately above the pivot-pin 7 6, upon which turns the supporting-block 7 7, on which the upper end of the chute rests, so that the chute 78 may be swung freely upon its pivot-pin without hindrance from the line 82.

The upper end-of the chute 78 is rounded, as best seenin Fig. 5, and lies immediately below the lower endof door 61, so that material which slides down off the door 61 will pass into the chute 78, whether the chute be extended directly rearward from the housing 6.0 or swung to one side thereof.

In the bottom of the chute 78 over the orebin is provided a trap-door 86. The trapdoor 86 is secured to a rod 87, which passes through eyes 88, attached to the sides of the chute, as shown. The rod 87has its ends bent at right angles to the central portion thereof to form arms 89, and the springs 90, attached at one end to each of said arms 89 and at the The hoist-rope 63 is wound on as IIO other end to chute 78, serve to keep the trapdoor 86 normally closed. In order to open the trap-door 86 when necessary, I provide an iron loop or bail 91,-which is pivotally connected with the arms 89, as shown, and is supported at the end of a line 92, which. passes upward over antifriction-rolls 93 on the top of the gallows-frameand then downward to be attached to-a bell-crank lever 94.

, The means for swinging the chute 78 laterally consists of a line 95, attached at each end to the chute 78 by means of links 96, secured thereto and having the central portion thereof passed several times around a drum 97, rotatably mounted upon a shaft 98, supported on a framework 99. at the rear of the baseframe B. The drum 97 is provided at one end with a hand-wheel 100 for turning it conveniently. The line 95 in passing backward from the links 96, by which its ends are attached to the chute 78, passes over antifriction-rolls 101, provided on the upright members of the gallowsframe,and over antifriction-rolls 102 and 103, which turn on horizontal axes instead of vertical axes, as do the rolls 101; In order to keep the line 95 taut, weights 10eLare suspended on both lateral portions of the line between rolls 102 and 103, the weights being preferably carried by pulleys 105 to prevent frictional engagement with the line.

The chute 78 has freedom of lateral movement over a total are of about two hundred and thirty degrees, and in order to provide for swinging the chute back to its normal position at the rear ofthe shaft-housing from positions in front of its point of support the drum 101 is rotatably supported on the upper part of ore-bin 71 in such position that when the chute 78 is swung to either side thereof one end or the other of the line 95 will engage with the drum, as best-seen in Fig. 8.

- In the. form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 4 to 9, just described, the operating-levers 61, and 94 are all rotatably mounted upon the shaft 98 and are held in position by means of ratchet-faces provided on the hubs of the levers and upon collars fixed upon the shaft, as already explained in the description of the first form of embodiment of the invention.

Thearrangement of the levers 61, 7 0, and 94C and the drum 97 upon the shaft 98 is illustrated in Fig. 6, the lever 94 lying near one end of the shaft, the lever 7 0 being next in order, then the drum 97, and lastly the lever 61. As the fixed collars, the springs by which the hubs of the levers are held in engagement therewith, and the cam-levers by means of which the hubs of the bell-cranklevers are forced out of engagement with the collars are exactly similar in construction to those already described in the preceding paragraphs, detailed description thereof is regarded as unnecessary.

In the modified form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 4 to 9 the operation of the mechanism for opening and closing the door 61 and for dumping the bucket 64 is substantially the same as that already described in connection with the first form of embodiment of the invention and need not be repeated here.

The operation of the mechanism for shifting the chute 78 laterally and for opening and closing the trap-door 86 will be readily under stood from the foregoing description of the construction of the apparatus and need not be further explained. The trap-door 86 will be kept open or closed, according as it is desired to have the material dumped upon the door 61 to pass down the chute to the lower end thereof for discharge therefrom or to pass from the chute 78 into the bin 71. When the trap-door is closed and the material passes down the entire length of the chute, a certain amount of separation of the coarse and the fine portions thereof will take place, the liner portions settling to the bottom, and as the material is discharged from the lower end of the chute the coarser portions arriving on top of the finer portions will strike the curved portion 79 at the lower end and will be thrown farther outward from the end of the chute than the finer portions.

In Figs. 8 and 9 is illustrated a modified form of support for the chute 78. In lieu of the line82 and its connections with the gallows-frame and with the chute I provide beams 110, projecting outward from the top of bin 71, and braces 111 to support the outer ends of said beams. Upon the beams 110 is placed a curved track 112, upon which travel wheels or rolls 113, mounted on axles 111, supported in a truck or carriage 115, which is attached to the bottom of the chute 78. This form of support for the lower portion of the chute 78 does not interfere with the use of the devices for shifting the chute already described in any way, and no change is made therein.

The chute 78 forms a very convenient means for conveying the ore discharged from the bucket 64 to tram-cars of any suitable kind, which may run upon tracks placed adjacent to the shaft-mouth, and in Fig. 5 I have shown a chute in position to discharge into cars upon the track at one side of the frame-base B.

Having thus described the construction and operation of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. The combinationin apparatus of the class described, of a supporting-frame, hoisting apparatus associated with said frame, an orebucket carried by said hoisting apparatus, a pivotally mounted trip having a counterweight, a knob provided on the under surface of the ore-bucket and adapted to engage said trip, and resilient means for swinging. said trip so as to engage with said knob.

2. The combination in an apparatus of the IIC class described, of a supporting-frame, a hoisting apparatus associated with said frame, an ore-bucket carried by said hoisting apparatus and provided on its under surface with a knob, a transverse bar adjustably mounted in said supporting-frame, a pivoted trip suspended from said bar, and means for bringing said described, of a supporting-frame, hoisting apparatus associated with said frame, an orebucket carried by said hoisting apparatus, a trip pivotally mounted on said support, a counterweight adjustably' secured to said trip and adapted to counterbalance it, a pivoted operating lever, a resilient connection between said operating-lever and said trip, a hub having a ratchet-face to which said operatinglever is attached, a stationary collar having a ratchet-face adapted to engage with the face of said hub, and a spring adapted to keep the ratchet-faces of said hub and said collar normally in engagement. 1

5. The combination in an apparatus of the class described, of a supporting-frame, a shafthousing associated with said frame, said shafthousing having a sloping top, a door hinged at the top of said housing and provided with vertical flanges forming sides, means for keeping said door normally closed, hoisting mechanism associated with said frame, an orebucket carried by said hoisting mechanism and adapted for movement within said shafthousing, and a dumping device independent of the door adapted to deposit the cpntents of said ore-bucket on the door at the top of the housing.

6. The combination in apparatus of the class described, of a supporting frame, a shaft housing associated with said frame, hoisting mechanism associated with said frame, a bucket carried by said hoisting mechanism and adapted to move up and down in said housing, an inclined door at the top of said housing, a counterweight carried by said door to counterbalance the weight thereof, a spring adapted to keep said door normally closed, means connected with said door for opening it when desired, and means provided on said frame for emptying said bucket.

7. The combination in apparatus of the class described, of a supporting-frame, a shafthousing associated with said frame, a door or cover for said housing set on an incline, hoisting apparatus associated with said frame, a bucket carried by said hoisting apparatus and adapted to move up and down in said housing, means for dumping the contents of said bucket on said door or cover, and a pivotally-mounted' chute adapted to receive the contents of said bucket from said door or cover.

8. The combination in apparatus of the class described, of a supportingframe, hoisting mechanism associated with said frame, an orebucket carried by said hoisting mechanism, means for dumping said bucket, a pivotallymounted chute adapted to receive the contents of said bucket, a line having its ends attached one to each side of said chute, a winding-drum around which said line is passed, and means for rotating said drum to swing said chute laterally.

9. The combination in apparatus of the class described, of a supporting frame, hoisting mechanism associated with said frame, an orebucket carried by said hoisting mechanism, a pivotally-mounted chute adapted to receive the contents of said bucket, a line having its ends attached one to each side of said chute, awinding-drum around which said line is passed, antifriction-rolls provided on said frame over which said line travels, and weights suspended from said line between said antifriction-rolls on either side of said winding-drum.

10. The combination in apparatus of the class described, of a supporting-frame, hoisting mechanism associated with said frame, an ore-bucket carried by said hoisting mechanism, a pivoted chute adapted to receive the contents of said ore-bucket, a line attached one end at each side of said chute, a windingdrum around which said line is passed, and an idle drum rotatably mounted on a suitable pivot and adapted to be engaged by said line when said chute is swung far to either side of its normal position.

11. The combination in apparatus of the class described, of a supporting-frame, ashafthousing associated with said frame, a hoisting mechanism carried by said frame, a bucket supported by said hoisting mechanism, means for dumping said bucket, an inclined door at the top of said housing upon which the contents of said bucket may be dumped, and a temporary chute inclined oppositely to said door and supported on said framework also adapted to receive the contents of said bucket when dumped.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN MOKINNON.

Witnesses:

J. J. VOIGTLANDER, E. E. BREED. 

